Can Bird's Milk cake be frozen?

Many pastry chefs freeze cake pre-prepared before peak season, allowing them to fulfill orders as quickly as possible. Today, we'll discuss whether it's possible to freeze Bird's Milk cake to extend its shelf life, as well as how to properly freeze and freeze baked goods at home.

Features of the recipe

In the GOST recipe, the mousse layer consists of whipped egg whites with condensed milk and butter, steeped in hot agar-agar syrup. However, homemade recipes can vary significantly in the ingredients used, and therefore require slightly different storage conditions.

Freezing a homemade cake

For anyone wondering whether Bird's Milk cake can be frozen, we hasten to inform you that the answer to this question depends entirely on the gelling agent you use to make the mousse. We discussed the fundamental differences between the three main substances in detail in the article "What is the difference between agar-agar and gelatin and which is better?".

Pectin mousse

Please note that not every type of pectin is suitable if you plan to freeze the product or store the finished dessert at low temperatures. NH pectin has the following important properties:

• thermoreversibility;
• low esterification (only 28-40%).

This means that if you freeze a mousse prepared with NH pectin, after proper defrosting the product will not lose its structure and taste, and will not release excess moisture.

This is why professional pastry chefs always strive to freeze soufflé cakes with pectin, confident that the customer will not notice any difference between a defrosted and a freshly prepared dessert.

Please note that pastry chefs do not freeze finished decorated cakes, but rather so-called "preparations" (the cake layer and soufflé layer) or just the soufflé itself after it has hardened in the mold. When an order is received, the preparatory cake is defrosted naturally and only then is the decoration applied.

Agar-agar mousse

Working with pectin has its own unique challenges, so at home, "Bird's Milk" is most often prepared with the addition of agar. The question of whether this cake can be frozen is a topic of much debate on culinary forums. Some report successfully freezing these desserts, extending the shelf life of their homemade "Bird's Milk."

In particular, you should not freeze agar cakes covered with icing, and especially those decorated with wafer designs.

Mousse on cove

If you've replaced agar or pectin with gelatin in the recipe, the cake should only be stored in the refrigerator. At room temperature, the mousse will quickly melt and lose its elasticity (like regular jelly), and it will lose its structure when frozen.

For the same reason, mousse cakes with a gelatin jelly layer cannot be frozen.

Basic rules

So, now you know for sure whether you can freeze "Bird's Milk" made with agar, pectin, and gelatin. If you decide to experiment with freezing, we recommend following these guidelines:

• freeze the prepared cake, not the finished one;
• Place the dessert tightly wrapped in cling film in the freezer;
• Be sure to write down the date on which the dessert was frozen;
• do not store frozen cakes for too long (for sale, the shelf life should not exceed one month);
• use a separate freezer for storing desserts (never store cakes next to frozen meat or fish);
• Defrost mousse cakes naturally (without heat) for 8 hours.

If you need to freeze a finished, decorated cake, it is important to know what kind of cream was used to level and decorate it.

Do not freeze creams made with sour cream, whipped egg whites (not set), or cream, or those containing large amounts of condensed milk (the texture and flavor will be affected). Cakes covered with icing or ganache should also not be frozen (the coating will become cloudy and may crack).

Fresh berry and fruit decorations are also not subject to freezing!